Yamaha Golf Car Company has unveiled its latest golf car — The Drive2. It is the company’s first new model in ten years and comes with technological innovations across all four of its models — EFI, Carbureted, AC & DC. This includes QuieTech, a gas car that is as quiet as an electric vehicle.
“The Drive2 lineup of golf cars is our answer to the golf industry that relies on Yamaha to continuously develop cost-saving solutions while enhancing the player’s experience at their course,” Yamaha Golf Car Company President Tom McDonald said in a statement. “The Drive2 was so named as our way of acknowledging all of the best features that we took from the Drive lineup, while creating something new and innovative that will serve the golf industry for years to come.”
While Yamaha already had a fully-independent automotive front suspension, it improved the ride with performance-tuned rear suspension on the two electric and carbureted models. New design lines are seen on the body panels, while the rear access lid has been enlarged to enable easy access to the engine and transaxle, saving time during routine maintenance. The automotive dash has been redesigned to be 34 percent larger, including built-in storage areas for mobile devices, range finders and multiple sized drinks. Yamaha also added no-slip mats in the front storage compartments to keep personal items more secure.
With QuieTech, Yamaha creates a new category of golf car combining the quietness and ride of its electric car with the profitability and performance of its gas car. In the new Drive2 QuieTech model, Yamaha engineers have developed a gas golf car that is quieter than the competition and almost as quiet as an electric car. Additionally, QuieTech is equipped with the first independent rear suspension system ever built for use in a golf car; technology inspired from Yamaha’s renowned all-terrain vehicle line. It is also equipped with Yamaha’s electronic fuel injection system, which Yamaha introduced to the industry in 2014. EFI technology affords superior gas mileage, easier cold starts, and the industry’s smallest carbon footprint.
The company said the model should appeal to both gas and electric customer fleet courses looking to lower their total purchase price or lease payments due to the longer term and higher residual that gas cars allow for.